Hieronymus Tuscano



Hieronymus Tuscano - properly Emperor Tuscano - is a Human who serves as the absolute, autocratic ruler of the Galactic Empire. He was also the founder of the Empire. Secretly, he is also known as Set Turhan, and is an extremely powerful Shadow Lord, likely the most powerful ever.

A native of Blackpool in the United Dominion, he joined the Army at the age of sixteen and remained in that service for the next twenty years. Publicly, he made a name for himself as a highly capable, popular, and tough officer. Privately, he is manipulative and extremely calculating, with a deep-seated vicious streak and a harsh and vindictive attitude toward those who dare to stand against him.

Since his earliest days of command, he had dreamed of one day becoming master of Human civilization, having formed his own philosophy of statecraft, leadership and military doctrine. He sought to impose his views on the governance of Humanity; highly organized, authoritarian views. He likewise believed drastic action was needed to stave off the liberalization of Dominion politics that had become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

He would accomplish this through his intentional triggering of the Great War, manipulating the three Human powers into a conflict where he would cripple and conquer two while weakening the third so that he could circumvent their political systems. As the war progressed, his supporters in those opposing states weakened them gradually as he conquered their territories, eventually standing unopposed. With the conclusion of the war, he forged a larger, more powerful state from the three lesser ones and rose to become its undisputed master. Despite the fear and mystique that surrounds him, he remains widely popular with the people of the new Empire.

He is known as the Galactic Emperor and is considered the single most powerful individual in the galaxy.

Basic

 * homeworld - Blackpool
 * height - 1.93 m (6 ft, 4 in)
 * weight - 97.72 kg (215 lb)
 * hair color - blonde
 * eye color - blue-gray


 * weapon of choice - Beamsword (single-bladed, orange blade)

Early Life
Hieronymus Tuscano was the only child of Giancarlo and Vincenza Tuscano on Blackpool on 3.4.10843. His parents, both successful merchants, were influential and respected financial specialists in the galactic economy. His father was a member of the board of directors for the Commerce Guild. His father Giancarlo was secretly a Pracado master, and had quietly intended to enlist the support of his brethren in training his newborn son in the ways of the Golden Link.

Shortly after his fifth birthday in 10848, Tuscano and his mother were reported missing from his family's estate on Blackpool by the staff, when his father was away on New Geneva on business. His mother would be found murdered three days later. Despite the efforts of police, no leads could be uncovered, as no real clues were left behind to point them in any direction. Unbeknownst to the authorities investigating the case, the kidnapping and murders had been arranged by Set Caedan, a Human better known by the galactic community as Christophe Corano, a successful surgeon and prominent executive for the firm Med-Tek. The Shadow Lord would both raise young Hieronymus as his successor and train him in the ways of the Varani disciplines.

Training in the Varani way was harsh and uncompromising, but the young man took to his lessons well. He was a ravenous student, eager to delve into the mysteries his master tempted him with. He learned everything his master knew gradually, and everything the Varani masters before him had learned. He studied rituals both prominent and obscure, and his power grew rapidly, as did his capabilities. On the day of his fourteenth birthday in 10857, he was given the honorific "Set" and the Shadow name Turhan, and annointed a Shadow Lord, completing his formal training far earlier than most Varani apprentices ever have.

Shortly afterward, Hieronymus traveled to Blackpool and intentionally "bumped into" his father at the family estate. Initially posing as someone else traveling and lost, his father eventually recognized the young man. A short but heated argument ensued as he realized his son had been trained as a Varani, and the exchange became extremely ugly. Eventually, both men drew their beamswords and dueled. Ultimately, Tuscano slew his father. Fueled by the high of the kill and drawing deeply on the Black Link, he indulged his overwhelming rage and slaughtered the servants and groundskeepers before setting the estate on fire before leaving. There was no going back for Tuscano at that point. He was what the Varani considered "blooded" - he had committed an atrocity so horrific that it proved their immersion in the dark side was complete.

Throughout the future emperor's training, Caedan had been greatly impressed with the capabilities and eagerness of his student, but was likewise fearful of his quickly-growing power. This fear proved unfounded for many years, though Caedan sought to remain vigilant against potential treachery. This vigilance would be only partly successful, however, as shortly after his fifteenth birthday in 10858, Tuscano murdered Caedan and claimed ownership of his collection of Varani artifacts and scrolls, as well as control of his assets. He would spend the next year studying in greater detail everything Caedan had on Varani ritual and tradition, furthering his own power in the Ambience.

His studies in the interim year prior to his joining the Dominion Army would be the catalyst for his development of the philosophies on political and military power and leadership that would ultimately fuel his ambition to take control of Human space. When he joined the military, he told the recruiting officer he was from New Cambridge. He was never suspected of being the missing Tuscano from Blackpool, and never made any mention of the matter.

Military Service
At the age of 16 in 10859, Tuscano enlisted into the Dominion Army. The future emperor rose through the ranks quickly as he proved his natural tactical skill and leadership. He earned the accolades of his superiors and was advanced to increasingly greater responsibilities throughout his early and mid-twenties, and achieved the rank of general 1st grade in 10871 at the age of 28, one of the youngest men to ever attain such high rank. As he settled into his new high post, he rapidly gained a reputation for being one of the toughest yet most popular senior officers of the Army, and he was granted command of first the Ninth Army Group and then the far larger and more elite Third Army Group, which he would go on to command during the Great War.

Around 10861, Tuscano met and developed friendships with the men who would later form his inner circle - fellow army officer Hanseph Tavari, intelligence coordinator Jordan Cavazerre, and naval officers Theodore Eccari and Dominic Virini. The future emperor would ascribe their meeting to destiny - all four men were, like he, followers of the Varani disciplines. Unlike Tuscano, however, who had surpassed and murdered his master, three of the quartet - Eccari, Tavari, and Virini - had been students of Set Tyrell, who had been grievously injured during an expedition and been abandoned by the trio, leaving them without any other direction. The fourth - Cavazerre - had been the apprentice of Set Arnos, who had attempted to get close to the future monarch. All four, like their future emperor, had been taught of the One Realm prophecy, which said "One day from the Shadow will come one who will united all Humankind in steel and strength..."..

Getting to know the secretive Tuscano better, the four quickly recognized the immense power in him and fell in with him easily. They would go on to play a central role in the conspiracy that ultimately brought down three star nations and united them into a single, totalitarian state. During the Great War, each would serve varying purposes towards the eventual fruition of Tuscano's plans.

Tuscano also met his future master engineer, Alexander Leovarus, in 10869, while the latter man was working for Dominion R&D. His review of two highly sought and eagerly anticipated weapon systems, supplemented by Leovarus' unfiltered opinion of their functionality, only improved his standing with the R&D establishment and gained him the friendship of a genius who now designs all of his weapons systems for him. Leovarus, privately his only mundane friend, remains a close confidant and adviser.

During the year immediately prior to the onset of hostilities - 10874 - Tuscano reached out to his contacts within the Dominion government, the Commonwealth administration and the various polities of the Free Federation. Through them, he began to sow the seeds of dissent and tension through a complex series of deceptively innocuous events which worsened the burgeoning distrust between the regional powers of Known Space. Over the course of the Great War, General Tuscano was one of the handful of front-line commanders who were responsible for executing the war policies of the Dominion against its enemies - first the Commonwealth, and then the Federation. Initially sparked by accusations of manipulating its neighbors, the Great War ultimately led to Dominion conquest of vast swaths of territory, all under the guidance of Tuscano.

Ascent
Having been responsible for manipulating both sides of the Great War from behind the scenes, Tuscano positioned himself to take the reins of power from the Dominion and install himself as absolute ruler of half the civilized galaxy. As he fought ever-growing battles against the armies that his own supporters had set against the Dominion, he secured ever broader influence with the government as his popularity rose. His successes ever increased his image as a problem solver and as one to whom the Dominion could turn to as a foil against the dangers it faced. It was through his heightened popularity that Tuscano began to take a more active role in personally advising the Dominion leadership, and allowing his opinions to be made known to the Presidium and the Central Command.

In the final months of the war, General Tuscano was recalled to the capital on New Geneva and assigned to tactical operations command, putting him in direct control of virtually the entire Dominion war machine. From this vantage point, he began to more surreptitiously influence the Presidium, indirectly "suggesting" actions to them which would later be a part of their downfall politically. Even as he crafted the Dominion's fall, he guided its leaders into courses of action which played into his hands and allowed him to present the "failures of the 'trusted' leaders" as their own incompetence. Eventually, public calls were being made by his supporters among the civilian populace for him to assume control of the Dominion, even if it meant outright revolution. Tuscano's plans were far more subtle than an open rebellion, but the ends were very similar. Though his intent was ascent to dominance over the Dominion, he likewise manipulated its enemies into crushing defeat after crushing defeat, bringing down both threats to the stability of the region and concluding the Great War approximately one month before his assumption of absolute power.

Approximately four days after his thirty-sixth birthday in 10879, in the presence of his staff and a Presidium badly weakened by scandals that he had masterminded, he proclaimed himself Emperor to no opposition. In his proclamation speech, he declared that a time had come for "determined leadership, disciplined authority and unassailable focus". The occupied Commonwealth and Federation were subsumed into the Dominion and the Galactic Empire was born.

Imperial Reign
"He represents mastery of the will over nature. He is law and order.  His world is plan and structure, stability and realism.  He rules with an iron hand, brooks no dissent and tolerates no insolence.  You will stand against him and fail, as will anyone foolish enough to support you.  You will be consumed, and made an example of.  None can overcome the Master."


 * Lord Tavari to an Opposition prisoner.

"I'd meant to confront Tuscano and tell him what I thought of his Empire, but as he approached me in the reception line, I was struck numb with fear. I remember thinking it was as if he were pitch-black inside."


 * An Opposition leader to a colleague.

"As the Emperor wills it, so shall it be."


 * Lord Virini

Though his power has only been established for three short years, he has rapidly tightened his grip on power and has only grown in the acclaim of the people of the expanded Empire as he has acted to knit together his vast realm and strengthen it against all comers. His very title has become synonymous with the fear-tinged respect his ministers and commanders give him, and mere mention of his name can invoke unease and immediate subservience in those who are displeasing him, often times serving as all the encouragement they need to better perform their duties.

Emperor Tuscano has quickly gained a reputation within the Empire and without for being extremely intelligent and immensely patient. He is gifted of the ability to maintain numerous elaborate, interwoven plans simultaneously and balancing them while being the sole individual fully aware of all details. He is considered a consummate speaker and manipulator of both words and people, and is said to always be planning four or five steps ahead on multiple options compared to everyone around him. Commonly, he will manipulate those who are most recalcitrant towards him or his policies into doing precisely what he wants, but in such a way that they are never truly aware that they have given him exactly what he wanted, or that they have even been manipulated.

Having been a career military man, Emperor Tuscano has a very short tolerance for incompetence or inefficiency, and can be capricious and mercurial in the granting of his favor. He will sometimes seemingly overlook an insolence from a subordinate only to punish them later. Many suspect he behaves in such fashion to keep his servants on their toes and limit temptations for treasonous thoughts. He can demonstrate incredible mercy, granting additional resources and personnel to the initiatives of specific servants while seemingly ignoring others. At other times, he can demonstrate a considerable penchant for brutal savagery, ordering those who fail greatly to be subjected to horrific and sometimes extremely gory punishments.

Since his ascent, the Emperor has become reclusive from all but his highest and most trusted advisers, ministers and commanders. He primarily exercises his control over the Court and government via his best-known deputies - Lords Cavazerre, the Speaker of the Imperial Court;  Tavari, the Lord Privy Seal;  Eccari, the Minister President of the Imperial State; and  Virini, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military.

The Emperor's mere presence easily intimidates those who serve him. Those who watch the new Imperial Court have posited on several occasions that even the his four fearsome lieutenants are intimidated by him. Those few who know the truth say this is no surprise, nor is it wrong, given the Emperor's terrifying power.

The Emperor dresses in an immaculately-tailored black suit consisting of a single breasted tunic with upright collar, trousers, and knee-high black leather boots. Over this he dons a flowing robe of black, with a full hood that he seldom wears up, and large, voluminous sleeves. The robe is long enough that it touches the floor and drags behind him slightly when he walks.

Secrecy & Rumors
While the Emperor considers gossip treasonous and cracks down on those who he learns are spreading it, there are sinister whispers that float about the government and the inner halls of power that the Emperor wields strange powers which defy understanding, and that he is a follower of an ancient, martial tradition long thought extinct. It is said he can control the minds of others, manipulate objects with a gesture, call upon fearsome attacks against an opponent in battle and is gifted of an unnatural speed and strength when in battle against others directly. None of these rumors have ever been proven true, but this only adds to the fear the Emperor invokes in his servants.

Many observers marveled at how quickly and thoroughly Tuscano erased the democratic order of three major star nations in such a short period of time, replacing it with an autocratic empire, and establishing himself as its single, undisputed ruler. But these onlookers do not know of the great power he commands, or his ability to wield it in pursuit of his objectives.